New Car Hire Service

[Steve Wooler]

Post Recreated: Originally posted - 09 January 2003

Although I try to keep the forum as a commercial-free zone, announcements about new services are obviously valid and appropriate. I would therefore like to tell everyone about Yes Tourism’s new online car rental service which I’ve been giving close scrutiny.

The Tobago car rental market is – how shall I put this diplomatically – well, not exactly up to European/North American standards. The fleets are small, the vehicles old (in comparison) and not exactly maintained to the standards we might expect. During the high season, the fleets are often fully booked, leaving little or no backup when things go wrong. Stories of cars being changed three or four times in a 14 day holiday are far from uncommon.

It is really is not worth the few dollars saved to find oneself stranded whilst crossing the rainforest or on one of the deserted sections of the leeward coast. Security is not an issue – but the inconvenience of walking miles until you find someone with a telephone and then waiting for hours to be collected is another thing altogether. A quick way to spoil a holiday!

The new Yes Tourism service scores highly on a number of points. Their website provides extensive information, including rates and details about the range of vehicles available from the island’s top rental agencies. It also allows you to reserve an appropriate vehicle well before your holiday (without any payment up front).

Yes Tourism does not provide the vehicles – they are a rental brokerage. They source vehicles and place reservations with only the most reliable operators on the island. The rental costs no more than booking direct, but you have the added clout and assurance that Yes Tourism are behind the reservation. You can be pretty assured that you are not going to get the dog of the fleet.

My mailbox and this forum are littered with nightmare stories about car hire on Tobago. Given everything I have heard and know about Yes Tourism, I have absolutely no hesitation in strongly recommending every visitor to have a look at their site (http://www.yes-tourism.com/rental.htm) and consider this service on their next trip.